by D. R. Grady
“Then what’s with the dark thoughts?”
“They are a little dark.” He had to admit that. “I’m trying to work out how those men got into Stefana’s bedchamber.”
Vidar’s posture stiffened. “Of course you are. I should have been mulling over the same.”
“You do have plenty of responsibilities you’re still learning.”
“I do. But Stefana’s safety is one of my duties.”
“Not entirely.”
His brother’s eyebrow shot up.
“You delegated her safety to me.”
“Yes, and thank you for undertaking this task with such alacrity.”
“I didn’t perform well last evening.” Lajos’ appetite fled.
“The safeguards failed, not you.”
Lajos contemplated his brother’s statement. “I’m not certain if they failed, or if they were reversed.”
Vidar set his fork down with a clunk. “Care to explain that?”
“I believe someone inside the castle let those men in. Maybe even led them right to her bedchamber.”
“That speaks of . . .”
“Betrayal.”
“Yes.” Vidar bit out the agreement.
“Who would do such a thing? Montequirst citizens are loyal.”
“I plan to study the census reports and ledgers today.” Lajos finished his coffee. Which was fortunate since Stefana pushed her chair from the table and stood. If she was intent on leaving, he needed to follow.
Her inherent grace left him staring.
“Hello? Lajos?” Vidar’s voice came from a long way off.
“What?” He threw his napkin on the table.
“Do you need access to those reports?”
With difficulty he shook off the spell of the human woman whose scent enticed him to step closer. “No.” He couldn’t manage more.
“If you need anything, please ask me or Raene.” Vidar’s eyes slid to the source of Lajos’ inattention. “Or Stefana.”
“I’ll do that.” He nodded to his brother and several others before following Stefana out of the dining hall.
More than a few men cataloged her progress. It took every ounce of discipline he possessed to quell the rising growl.
As her bodyguard, he had little say in who she interacted with. Her husband did have a say, but she currently didn’t possess one of those. Another growl surfaced, and he swallowed it.
With a great deal of difficulty.
This woman’s movements were art in motion. She flowed like a stream over river pebbles, like a soaring eagle, or leaves in a gentle summer breeze. Magical.
What is wrong with me?
His inner voice stoically remained silent.
Lajos ground his teeth.
He also kept alert to security issues as they traversed several hallways on their way to the library where Stefana and Raene worked. A small alcove in this room contained a desk Stefana had ordered for him. He could have worked in his brother’s office, but there he wouldn’t have a direct line to Stefana.
The alcove provided her some space, but he was still within striking distance. His sword was long, and he could be on an attacker in one leap. He perused each person they passed, suspicious, until Stefana unlocked the library door and they entered the space.
His security check was systematic and thorough before he allowed her to seat herself at the dainty desk allocated for the princess of the land.
Stefana’s narrow shoulders bore a heavy burden. Although not a crown princess, as Raene’s cousin, the Duke of Lockwillow would reign should something untoward happen to Raene, Stefana would only be required to become queen in the event of Raene and her cousin Haines’ deaths.
Fortunately, as Raene had been, Stefana had also been trained nearly from birth to rule this nation. Both women were capable and firm, despite their youth.
Compared to him, and Lajos had done so several times, Stefana was a youth. Yet she had already lived a quarter of her life if she lived to be one hundred. She faced mortality. So did he and his brother, only they were far harder to kill. They could live for centuries, and both had.
Despite her apparent youth, he didn’t consider her a novice, due to the responsibilities she and Raene both carried. Those same responsibilities had gotten her carried off last night by a nefarious king intent on furthering his own cause.
Lajos made a mental note to expand her sword and self-defense lessons from today forward. If she had been carrying a sword, she might have at least had a chance to escape her captors. As it was, last evening, she had nothing because she didn’t have her sword, and her lessons had been the barest of basic.
Last evening had further proved their security measures were not infallible. And Stefana had paid the price.
No more. Their lessons and security breaches would be improved, greatly.
His resolve hardened until he took notice of the stack of files on her desk. A daunting, teetering one.
Stefana nibbled her lip as she gazed upon it, then with a heavy sigh, reached for the one on top. She opened it, read the contents, then tugged her crystal console close and began tapping out notes with a crystalline keyboard set within the desk.
He plucked two tomes off the shelves nearby and began his investigation into the people who worked within the castle. The clues lay here, and he intended to discover them, not repentant at digging up secrets.
Stefana’s life might very well depend upon what he uncovered.
The words in front of her blurred. Stefana blinked rapidly in an attempt to bring them back into focus. She’d been working on this particular file for over an hour and hadn’t progressed at all. She slapped it shut and exchanged the folder for another.
“Stefana, Anneke’s sister is wondering if you have time to meet her?” Raene’s question offered the perfect excuse to avoid the next file in the stack. Rising from her desk with more than a little relief, Stefana paced to Raene’s desk.
“Yes, I’m available.” Stefana waited while Raene sent a reply on her crystal. “What is Anneke’s sister’s name?”
Raene finished typing before she glanced up. “Oh, I’m sorry. Her name is Mies.”
“I hope she’s better than Olga.”
“Yes. How did you get assigned Olga anyway?”
“My previous maid disappeared, do you remember?”
“Oh yes. I had forgotten about that. Genny didn’t show up one day, right?”
“Right. It was very strange.”
“So strange my mother demanded an extensive search.” Raene tapped the desk with her pen. “It’s disconcerting that we didn’t uncover anything.”
“Yes.” Stefana searched her memory. “Genny wasn’t the type to leave her work without notice.”
“What was it about her that was unusual? I’m drawing a blank.” Raene cocked her head.
“She didn’t have family. She was also beautiful.”
“That’s right, now I remember. I thought Stuart was smitten with her.”
Stefana straightened. “Yes, I believe you’re right.” She brushed some paper bits off the desk and into the nearby bin. “I still don’t understand why she simply disappeared.”
A long shadow blocked out the sunlight and she jumped before whirling. Lajos approached with a frown. “Why didn’t you mention this before?”
“Mention what?”
“That your previous maid disappeared. And your reservations about the new one?”
Raene shoved wispy curls behind her ear as her gaze swung to Lajos. “You believe this is not a coincidence?”
“Correct. I started researching Olga first thing this morning. Her entrance into this country is murky.”
“That’s not good.” Raene’s eyes narrowed. “Perhaps we need to speak with her.”
A knock sounded at the door, and when Raene invited the newcomer inside, a woman who resembled Anneke entered with her. She curtsied, as Raene was the queen.
“Raene, this is my sister, Mies. Princess, I believe she
’ll do well for you.” Anneke didn’t grimace but came close. “Better than Olga.”
“You don’t care for Olga?” Stefana inquired in a soft voice. She agreed but sought one of Olga’s peers’ opinion of her.
Anneke’s forehead creased. “She’s different.” She darted a hesitant look to Stefana.
“Anneke, we’re all friends here. Stefana has also expressed reservations about Olga. This is why we thought of your sister. You know Stefana was kidnapped last evening?” At Anneke’s nod, Raene continued. “We’re trying to figure out what happened.”
Anneke’s body language eased. “Genny disappeared at the same time as Olga started. I remember the night before Genny failed to report for work. She never once mentioned plans to leave.” Anneke was respected and privy to things because the other servants trusted her. And rightfully so. If Genny had decided to leave, Anneke would likely have heard.
“You don’t believe she chose to leave?” Raene’s soft inquiry sent Stefana’s nape hairs rising.
“No, I believe she was snatched. I also believe Olga has an agenda. Thankfully it sounds as though the princess hasn’t been open to saying much in front of her. We hope that means Olga hasn’t learned what she wanted. She would hear only what the rest of us do, of course.”
“Why do you say she wanted to learn things?” Stefana had been reluctant to say anything of import in Olga’s presence.
“During my years here, I’ve seen a few spies, and Olga reminded me of a few of them.” Anneke made this statement with enough conviction that a small shiver swept up Stefana’s spine.
Lajos’ eyes narrowed. “You never mentioned this to anyone?”
“Of course I did. I told the queen herself.” Anneke swallowed. “Queen Margina, right before she fell ill. It took that long for me to figure out what bothered me about Olga. Finally came to me that she acted like a spy. She’s good, I’ll give her that.”
“Do you recommend we release her from her duties all together?” Raene tugged her crystal console closer.
“No. I recommend you send her to the scullery. She’ll still be employed here, where some of us can keep an eye on her, but it will be a lot more difficult for her to learn anything valuable. As Princess Stefana’s current maid, she can snoop.”
“I didn’t trust her, as I barely knew her, so I certainly didn’t share intimate details with her.” Stefana tucked tickling tendrils of hair back into her elegant knot. The one Olga had created this morning.
“You have never trusted her, not after a year?” Raene’s expression turned musing.
“No.”
“That’s very telling. Your instincts are spot on.” Lajos nodded in approval before he took out his crystal, the one she and Raene had helped him acquire, as he hadn’t bothered before. “I recommend you send Olga to the scullery.” He pinned Anneke with a hard look. “You’re sure you can spy on this woman?”
“Of course. Many of us have felt she wasn’t trustworthy, so you naturally watch them.”
Lajos next fixed his stare on Raene. “Can you make this change immediate?”
“I’m the queen.” Raene remained serene. “There are a few perks to this position.”
“Is Mies trustworthy?” Lajos didn’t mince words, for sure. The maid in question stirred and smiled.
Raene’s nod was firm. “She has served my mother as her personal maid since Mies began here in the castle. She’s not had regular duties since my mother passed.”
“Perfect. Yes, make Mies Stefana’s maid, effective immediately.” Lajos plowed ahead, his gaze fixed on Anneke again. “Please alert the servants you trust to watch Olga.”
“Who is the queen again?” Stefana couldn’t stop the statement, and the ensuing laughter felt good.
“I was wondering the same.” Raene’s smile tinged with sadness, but that was to be expected.
“It’s the Aasguard in him. We tend to be bossy.” Vidar joined them, and he drew Raene against him for a kiss. His stance was protective and loving. Raene leaned into him.
Stefana’s heart wept a little for this pair. She wanted the same sort of union and would not marry until she found a man like Vidar.
His brother spoke quietly with Anneke and Mies, both who seemed a tad intimidated by him. Who wouldn’t be if a nearly seven-foot tall warrior who could withstand dragonfrye loomed over them?
This man was far older than all the women in the room, combined. He had seen things they would never hope to witness. The tales he could tell stemmed from experience, not history books. He had earned the respect all offered him.
While Raene was thrilled with her Aasguard warrior husband, Stefana doubted she herself possessed enough royal blood to take on one of these. Even a regular warrior was questionable.
Yet when Lajos’ eyes met hers, the promise in them made her shiver.
Whether this stemmed from nerves or excitement, she hadn’t determined yet. Perhaps some cocktail of both bubbled within.
Her chin lifted. The new laws in this land stated she would never be forced to marry. Her husband would be her choice.
Her choice, not some man who thumped his chest and probably stole all the sheets.
No thank you.
At the conclusion of the interview, Lajos escorted the two maids from the library. He stopped them in the hallway, where the space saw less traffic now that he guarded Stefana. The warriors in the land had learned he didn’t appreciate them hovering.
He stalled the two women with a hand. “Thank you for your loyalty to Raene and Stefana.”
Anneke, Raene’s maid, looked startled. “Raene has been my friend for years.”
Mies, who hadn’t spoken much, stirred. “When you tend to someone, you get to know them well. Margina was an impressive lady. She was the queen, yet she respected those of us who worked for her, as does Raene. Stefana seems to be the same type of person.”
“She is.”
“Those of us in these jobs appreciate people who don’t look down on us.” Anneke’s tone didn’t reflect surliness or sullenness. It remained matter-of-fact.
“My brother and I agree. As we’ve been in service ourselves all our lives.”
Mies eyed him, as though in a different light. “Of course you have. You protect treasures and the like.” Her eyes dawned with understanding.
“That is correct.”
“The thing is, Raene is the queen now, as was her mother, but they’re as much in service as we are.” Anneke tapped her foot. “I didn’t understand this at first, not until she pointed it out to me.”
“It’s true. Margina told me the same. She said her first loyalty was to her people. That all of us rely on her to make the best decisions and take actions that will benefit us all. She never thought of herself. Her life was not easy.” Mies’ quiet spirit reminded him of Stefana.
“Now Stefana and Raene are doing the same. We are thankful to have both of you to aid them.”
“We are thankful to assist them.” Mies’ gentle answer assured him this lady’s maid was a good fit for Stefana.
“Thank you. Who will reassign Olga?”
“The Castle Keeper. At least if this is done properly. She won’t argue with him, and it will seem as though it was his idea. She won’t know this came from the Queen herself unless she presses the issue.” Anneke retained a wealth of information.
He stored this away for future use. “Will she be informed of this today?”
“Nearly as soon as he learns of the queen’s wishes, yes.”
“Excellent. I want to see Mies with Stefana. Also, you both will report to your sword and self-defense training once you’re assigned.”
Both of his companion’s eyes widened. “We’re to be included in such training?” Anneke eventually found her tongue.
“Oh yes. Every able-bodied woman and girl in this country will be required, as are the men, to learn sword training, and more importantly, self-defense training.”
Mies shivered. “I hope we never have to use these sk
ills, but am thankful we’re to learn them.”
“It’s past time for the women of this nation to know how to defend themselves and their children.”
The women drifted off soon after and Lajos headed back into the library. Stefana and Raene were both working, so he seated himself at his own desk and continued his research on the people who interacted with Stefana.
Someone had aided those men last night and he intended to discover their identity and the reason why they had betrayed their princess.
Chapter 5
Stefana had only just finished a report Raene and Vidar needed when a commotion at the door distracted her.
The knock reverberated with confidence. Raene rose as though she intended to answer the summons, but Lajos waved her away. He whisked open the door, keeping his body between them and the person on the other side.
“Ari, what are you doing here?” He grabbed the woman and swept her into his arms. She was tall, like him, and an impressive sword gleamed at her side.
Stefana bit back a spurt of envy. Whether for the sword or that the woman got to hug Lajos, she didn’t know. And refused to delve further.
“Ari, this is Queen Raene, married to Vidar, and Princess Stefana, acting princess of Montequirst. I’m currently guarding Stefana.” His face glowed. Stefana’s heart dropped.
“Stefana and Raene, this is my sister, Ari.”
Sister? Oh thank goodness… The ensuing emotion nearly made her dizzy.
The woman slipped around him to greet both Raene and her. She resembled her brothers, although her hair was a lighter brown. The deep gold of honey to their near black. Her striking blue-silver eyes were a combination of both Lajos’ and Vidar’s eyes.
Lajos poked his head around Vidar’s office door, and their king embraced his sister with the same amount of enthusiasm. “You came.”
“I got your message. It came when I needed it.” Ari brushed long strands of honey colored hair off her cheek in a weary manner.
“What happened?” Lajos’ tone sharpened.
“My dragon chose to go on to the next life.” Exhaustion etched every word.
Both men engulfed her in their arms. Their eyes met over the top of her head, as their sister didn’t top either man. She was tall, a little over six feet, but not unnaturally so.
